FITNESS

Penny Does... Body Attack!

Author: Penny Wilby

In 16 days, I’ll be donning the lycra and psyching myself up for my first ever half marathon. I should point out, I’m not a natural fitness enthusiast. I enjoy plodding across the Suffolk countryside because it gets me out and I enjoy the solitude of running by myself, alone with my thoughts and my Spotify playlist or catching up with my running buddies and gossiping. 5km is my normal distance.

So by agreeing to do this half marathon, I’ve had to massively up my fitness game and thanks for Peake Fitness, I’ve been able to do just that.

A few weeks ago, I spent an hour with a personal trainer, Ben Norfolk, trying out the new Technogym equipment recently installed. And very impressive it is too. I loved the integration with apps such as FitBit and MapMyRun, with their own MyWellness App, tracking your exercise in and out of the gym. What a brilliant way to remain motivated and focused.

Chris Grimwood, Leisure Club Manager at Peake Fitness, suggested I attend a class called Body Attack. Now, I’ll be honest, any exercise class that has the word Attack in it, does fill me with a tiny bit on in trepidation. Should I be scared? Will I ever recover? What exactly will attack my body – Small pixies with sharp sticks? The only way to find out, was to take a class and hope I survived!

Turns out, if you like cardio exercise, it’s a class right up your street.

The whole focus is to raise your heart beat, through interval training, core strengthening, and cardio. The exercise is challenging, but there are always alternative moves so you don’t overdo it. I’m a bit concerned about my ankles, due to an injury a few years ago, alongside my general age and the wear and tear that comes with a 42-year-old body, I sometimes opted for the easier moves.

The music wouldn’t be out of place in club and there is an element of dance-like moves. Don’t get me wrong, if you started doing the Body Attack routines at a party, people would stare. It was simple enough for me to get the hang of it quickly though, whilst not falling over (I tend to get my feet a bit muddled) and distracting me from the hard work my body is going through. The routines consist of running, small bounces, lunges and squats amongst other things.

If 2017 is the year you’ve promised to increase your fitness levels, then I recommend you give Body Attack a go. You do not need to be a gym member of Peake Fitness to attend any of their classes. Simply take a look at their class timetable here and give them a call to book yourself in. Classes cost £6 for non-members and I think that’s £6 well spent.

What would have made the class perfect though, is if they could have used my 90s dance playlist on Spotify. It might have tricked my body into thinking I was 25 and out clubbing… Maybe take a few moves from this inspiration.

Body Attack is every Thursday 7pm-8pm

About Penny…

With an ever-growing passion for fitness, Penny is our resident guest blogger. When she’s not juggling her busy lifestyle you’ll find her with her selfie stick!